CCAP Connecticut Cycling Festival Hosting two Fun Fall Rides along the Connecticut River on Saturday September 20CCAP's Connecticut Cycling Festival kicks off with two challenging and picturesque rides starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 20. This is the start of a two day festival celebrating cycling in Hartford. Both Gran Fondo rides start on Elm Street near the Pump House Gallery in Bushnell Park and follow the southern Connecticut River Valley. The 45 mile course will go down Middletown and back while the epic 100 mile ride will go to the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Lyme. Riders are welcome to ride at their own pace. Come join Paul Lynch riding in the Gran Fondo. Lynch grew up in Colchester Conn, and is 21 years old and now on the USAC Pro Development Team riding in the Gran Fondo. Check-in begins at 6:30 a.m. and both rides are expected to start at 8 a.m. When the riders return at their leisure, any time between noon and 4 p.m., they will be treated to a barbeque in Bushnell Park and EnvisionFest will be underway which celebrates the ingenuity of the city's and state's industries, artists and people, while offering an update on the transformation of Hartford through the iQuilt plan. Registration is $95 through September 12 and $105 the week of September 13-20. The ride is limited to 500 riders so early registration is encouraged. Learn more at cyclingadvancement.com/events/ct-gran-fondo There will be awards for the best time during one well marked, challenging segment for the 45 mile Gran Fondo and three well marked segments within the 100 mile route. Further segment details and Connecticut Bed and Breakfast rest and fuel up stops can be found on the rides with GPS website or in advance by visiting these links: 100 MILE / 45 MILE. During the Gran Fondo ride you can expect fully staffed and stocked rest stops with endless food, drink and medical/mechanical support. All entrants will receive a CCAP Connecticut Gran Fondo finishers T-Shirt. There will be an exceptional post-ride festival with food, drink and loads of entertainment, in partnership with downtown Hartford’s EnvisionFest. The Connecticut Cycling Festival is also hosting a variety of family friendly events and a series of entry level, professional and youth-oriented bike rides and races in downtown Hartford on Sunday, September 21, 2014. Starting on Asylum Street along side the XL Center, the races cover a one mile circuit through downtown Hartford, circling four city blocks and are designed to offer stimulating riding opportunities for riders of all ages. There will be medals and $10,000 in total cash prizes awarded to the top level winning participants. There will even be an Urban Mountain Bike Race, a Freestyle bike show both Saturday and Sunday, music, bands and more family entertainment. As a fundraiser for the Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program (CCAP), the race proceeds and all activities help create a community where youth can learn and thrive through the sport of cycling in and out of schools across the state. The Connecticut Cycling Festival also includes a course-side family-friendly exposition area and food vendors. The CCAP mission is to better the lives of youth and young adults through the sport of cycling. Their goal is to create, sustain and grow high school bike club programs throughout the state. Additionally, the CCAP aims to create a junior travel team for youth 18 years and under and form an elite development team for the state. Cycling is a lifelong sport that teaches an incredible number of principles that make our youth and young adults healthier, happier and better members of a community. More than 200 volunteers are needed to help make this an incredible sports and community event. Please visit http://cyclingadvancement.com/events/ct-cycling-festival/ to learn more or sign up! Volunteers are the hub at the center of the CCAP wheel. Volunteer sponsorship is available for $5,000.About the History of Bicycling in Hartford: Hartford is the home of the development and manufacturing of the bicycle because of the U.S. Businessman, Colonel Albert Augustus Pope who came to Hartford when he outgrew his Boston location and looked for new manufacturing facilities. By the mid-1890s, at the height of the bicycle craze, Pope was manufacturing about a quarter million Columbia brand bicycles annually here in Hartford. A major problem for bicycles in this era was the lack of suitable roads. He formed the League of American Wheelmen to petition governments for improved roads. Perhaps more than anyone in America, Pope was instrumental in the building of modern roads systems in America. Colonel Pope bears the undisputed title ‘Father of the American bicycle."